All About the Solo: Week Eight

One of the most frustrating things in IDP leagues is seeing your stud linebacker fly all over the field on game days only to see the home score keeper dilute his performance by divvying up his tackles as assists. On the flip side, if your league doesn’t score solos and assists too differently, you’ll have a better idea of which teams hand out assists like candy.

Not everyone knows this, but the NFL does not recognize a tackle as an official statistic. Tackles are scored by the home team’s official score keeper and those are the stats you see on the news and websites. The league made an effort to standardize what is and isn’t a solo tackle back in 2007 when they sent a video to all NFL teams, but it is still the discretion of the home score keeper. Even after this effort there is a still a large discrepancy from team to team and week-to-week. I will be tracking this throughout the season to give you a better idea of what to expect when choosing your IDPs each week.

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K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner both played all 71 snaps against Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans and they continue being arguably the league’s best linebacking duo. As this defense faces adversity due to injury on the front line and in the defensive backfield, it’s these guys keeping it together. They are as dependable as any IDP asset.

It’s been an interesting season for Lawrence Timmons but as long as he’s on the field he has to be your lineup. Quite frankly, this offense stinks worse than four day old Indian food, and that was before they traded Jay Ajayi to the Eagles on Tuesday. This group is going to get so many tackle opportunities and there’s enough for Timmons, Kiki Alonso and Reshad Jones.

Hayes Pullard isn’t an every-down linebacker but he tends to pop up on this list pretty frequently. His game brings exactly what I want from a LB3 in the IDP world.

NaVorro Bowman has quickly acclimated himself to Raider Nation. He has recorded 11 tackles in both games since being traded by the 49ers and has played nearly every snap along the way. He might not be in the conversation for the top three linebackers in dynasty rankings but he is without doubt a top ten linebacker.

The Browns are playing all three linebackers pretty much the entire time. Joe Schobert, Christian Kirksey and Jamie Collins don’t leave the field and Schobert and Kirksey take turns being the main IDP beneficiary as Schobert leads the team with 68 total tackles and Kirksey is just one behind with 67.

Kwon Alexander is definitely back from the hamstring injury he suffered in week one. He has 19 total tackles in the two games since his return and has firmly planted Kendall Beckwith, who still leads the team in tackles, back on the bench. The bottom line is the MIKE linebacker position just flat out produces in this defense regardless of who is manning it.

You might be asking yourself, “who is Leger Douzable?” To that, I say… to the Googles!!! Douzable was signed when Arik Armstead was placed on injured reserve two weeks ago and has taken his place in the defensive line rotation. On Sunday against the Eagles he finished with five solo tackles and a pair of sacks, nearly matching his previous season high in sack in one game. He could be a really sneaky IDP add with games against Arizona, the Giants, Seattle and Chicago over the next five weeks.

Justin Houston and Ryan Kerrigan are two of the most impressive outside linebackers in the league. Their non-stop motors and setup moves are a lot of fun to watch. Houston is constantly mentioned among the league’s most dominant pass rushers while Kerrigan is often overlooked. He’s never had fewer than eight sacks in a season and already has six in 2017.

David Irving missed the season’s first four games while serving a suspension. In the three games since his return all he has done is record five sacks. If he’s listed as a defensive tackle in your IDP league he’s a top three option and if he’s a defensive end he maintains rock solid DE2 value.

Follow me on Twitter @OlingerIDP.

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